Kimyon Dürüm Among the dimly lit bars on Kadıköy’s student-filled Kadife Sokak, Kimyon, with its garish red leather interior, may put you off, but after a few Efes beers on Kadife Sokak, this is the ideal spot for soup and a dürüm wrap. Mercimek çorbasi, a simple lentil soup seasoned with chile, lemon, and garlic, is superb. For braver soup connoisseurs, there’s good kelle paça, which is broth from a sheep’s head and feet, thick with garlic undertones. I particularly recommend the red pepper and chile dip served on arrival by the ever-jovial staff, who are more than happy to humor a yabancı’s bad Turkish. Kadife Sokak 17/C, tel 216.330.4845



Çiya Sofrasi to both locals and tourists (book ahead). The hearty meals are priced a little higher than other local restaurants, but the food is worth it. Çiya Sofrasi is especially good for vegetarians, with its large pots of vegetable stews and rice meals in abundance. The jewel in the crown, however, is dessert. Sweet pickled aubergine with walnuts and ice cream will have you crying when it’s gone. Caferağa, Güneşli Bahçe Sk. 43, tel 216.330.3190, ciya.com.tr



Moda Aile Çay Bahçesi In quieter Moda, this concrete expanse of plastic tables, chairs and Coca-Cola parasols may look like a glorified car park, but it’s a Kadıköy institution and the real deal. (Do not be tempted by a fancier version next door with velvet umbrellas and wicker furniture.) The best seats are next to the fence, looking out over the water — the views over the Bosphorous and onto Sultanahmet are the city’s best, especially at sunset. Çay is tea, and the fast-talking waiters, wearing matching striped T-shirts, swerve around the plastic tables and chairs with trays of it. Grab their attention and let them know how many teas you would like. Turkish tea, in reference to its earthy red color, is known as “rabbit blood,” and this place does it by the gallon. Many people bring biscuits and snacks, which they buy at the pastry shops along Moda’s main street, to accompany their dark, sugary çay. Caferağa Mahallesi, Moda Caddesi, Ferit Tek Sokak 7, tel 216.337.9986



Borsam Taşfırın This bustling lahmacun and pide restaurant is perfect both for a cheap, delicious meal and for people watching. There are now three locations in Kadıköy alone, a sign of Borsam Taşfırın’s popularity. From the seats pulled up to open windows along the wall, you can watch the busy chefs cook the lahmacun and pide in wood-fired ovens. Pide, made from a thick breadlike dough, is stuffed with the filling of your choice and folded in at the edges to resemble a canoe-shaped pizza. Lahmacun is lighter, thinner, and covered in spices and flecks of meat. Do as the locals do: sprinkle chile flakes, lemon, and parsley on top and roll into a wrap, and drink an ayran. Lahmacun is considered so light that many diners order three. Bahariye Cad. Serasker Sok. 78, Osmanağa Mh.; Rıhtım Caddesi Reşit Efendi Sokak 1/A; and Güneşli Bahçe Sokak 22



Dicle Balık Evi Fish is abundant in Kadıköy, and Turkey is the birthplace of the finest yet simplest fish dish: balık ekmek, “fish bread.” This unusual, delicious sandwich — fried mackerel (kiraça, finger-sized, you eat them whole) in a long white soft roll, accompanied by raw onion, chile, and lemon — is sold by many street vendors, and in summer you can buy it straight off the back of a boat along the shore. Or go to Dilce Balık Evi, close by the fishmonger of the same name. Look for the red glaring neon sign: “Balık Ekmek.” Muvakkıthane Cad. 31/A, Caferağa, tel 216.450.2750

Karaköy Güllüoğlu  A short ferry ride (a joy in itself) from Kadıköy Iskelesi to Karaköy brings you to this majestically lit emporium of baklava. You cannot have a conversation about Istanbul food without its name being at least mentioned (for more on Güllüoğlu, in Gaziantep, see AoE 87) and it is the top place in the city. You can buy baklava to gobble up on the spot or in boxes to take away. Tell the man at the till what you would like and take the receipt over to the trays of baklava, where the servers dole up portions. To sample all the flavors, ask for a karıșık (“mixed”) box. There are other pastries, but the baklava is best. Karaköy, Rıhtım Cad. Katlı Otopark Altı 3–4, karakoygulluoglu.com ●